FURIA sweep Falcons to reach BLAST Rivals final in Hong Kong

FURIA are one win away from defending their BLAST Rivals crown in Hong Kong after sweeping Team Falcons 2-0 in the second semi-final of BLAST Rivals 2026 Season 2 on Saturday. The Brazilian side took Ancient 16-14 in overtime before running away with Dust2 13-5 at the AsiaWorld-Arena, ending a run of four straight defeats against Falcons in 2026 and setting up a best-of-five grand final against Team Spirit on Sunday.

The win was built on a career-defining series from Kaike "KSCERATO" Cerato, who finished with 47 kills, 107.4 average damage per round and a 1.69 rating across the two maps. Danil "molodoy" Golubenko backed him up with 43 kills and a 1.59 rating, and together the pair carried FURIA through the tightest moments of a series that could easily have gone the other way. Falcons, who had swept FURIA 3-0 in the IEM Cologne Major final in June, leave Hong Kong in third-fourth place.

Ancient goes the distance

FURIA changed their usual veto approach for the series, removing Anubis after opening with an Ancient ban in each of their four previous meetings with Falcons. Falcons duly picked Ancient and looked comfortable early, racing to a 5-1 lead before FURIA responded with nine consecutive rounds across the half-time break to move 10-5 ahead.

Falcons refused to fold. They answered with five straight rounds of their own and later saved two map points to force overtime, dragging a map they had controlled early into extra rounds. FURIA finally broke the deadlock there, with KSCERATO and molodoy combining for 53 kills on the map to secure the opener. The result also extended Falcons' losing streak on their own map picks to eight.

Dust2: a shutout second half seals the sweep

Dust2 began with another strong start from Falcons, who raced to a 4-0 lead before FURIA got on the board. There was a brief interruption with Falcons leading 4-2, when Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis disconnected mid-round. After a short technical pause, the round was replayed despite damage already having been dealt, and FURIA used the reset to take control of the half, stringing together seven rounds from 0-4 before Falcons salvaged the last to trail 5-7 at the break.

There would be no second-half recovery this time. KSCERATO finished the map with a 2.10 rating as FURIA's defence conceded nothing, and a YEKINDAR quad kill brought up match point before the Brazilians completed the sweep in the following round. Falcons' star rifler Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov top-scored for his side with 38 kills and a 1.11 rating, but captain Finn "karrigan" Andersen managed only 19 kills at a 0.62 rating as the Falcons attack stalled.

The scoreline flattered FURIA only slightly. Both maps turned on short bursts of dominance — the nine-round run on Ancient, the seven-round run on Dust2 — and in each case Falcons had no answer once the momentum shifted. Nikola "NiKo" Kovač finished 33-37 for Falcons, and the defeat means the much-changed Falcons roster must wait for the PGL Major Singapore to get its revenge.

A final, a farewell and a major on the horizon

Sunday's final is a rematch of last year's Hong Kong title decider, which FURIA won 3-1, and of the PGL Masters Bucharest meeting earlier this season, where Spirit beat FURIA 2-1 before FURIA went on to win the event. Spirit reached the final by beating MOUZ 2-0 in Saturday's first semi-final, taking Mirage 13-7 and Ancient 13-11 to end the world No. 1's ten-map winning streak on Mirage.

For Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo, the final carries extra weight. The veteran AWPer retires at the end of the year, and Sunday is his last chance to lift a trophy with FURIA before the PGL Major Singapore, where both FURIA and Falcons enter directly in Stage 3 on 2 December. A title defence in Hong Kong would be a fitting farewell — and, after ending the Falcons streak in such commanding fashion, FURIA will believe the trophy is theirs to keep.

BLAST Rivals 2026 Season 2, played from 11 to 15 November with eight teams and a $1,000,000 prize pool, is the last big test before Singapore. FURIA arrived as defending champions and group winners; after Saturday's statement win, they head into the final day as favourites to keep their crown.